What did you buy for your trip that turned out to be a total waste of money?
 

Have you ever bought anything for your travels that you ended up not using? For me, the total waste of money was the travel pillows. I bought all 5 of us the "deluxe inflatable travel pillows" from the Rick Steves web site. I used mine; it was a bit odd, but worked. Two of the kids inflated theirs, but found them uncomfortable. The other two never made it out of the bag.

Our Via Michelin GPS. Expensive and worthless.

I have a bicycle cable with lock for anyone who wants to lock their luggage to the train rack.

New. Never used.

((I))

I also bought a U-shaped travel pillow which I found uncomfortable and didn't use. It was on sale for $3 so it wasn't boo bad.

A zip-up case to hold plane tickets, passport, credit cards, etc. It's way too long & sticks out of my purse. General nuisance & it went to our Humane Society's Flea Market.

A set of those nylon and mesh packing rectangles. Ok for socks and underwear, but hardly necessary. Toiletry storage was better with medium and large ziploc bags, which keep everything in place just as well and contain any leaks.
Also, this was a gift so we didn't pay anything for it, an electronic beer guide. An almost useless gimmick that took up space, so it went to a charity shop (we told them how worthless it was and said we'd bin it if they didn't want it, but they took it anyway).

Well, thanks for saving me from buying those rectangles. I was considering getting them.

Well, that's just our opinion...some people swear by them. Ours are all sleeping with the dust bunnies under the bed.

I'll trust your judgement. I'm always looking at travel gear & want to buy it all. Maybe I'll see if I can find them really cheaply on ebay.

Okay, what IS an electronic beer guide?

underclothes money belt. I put my valuables in the room safe and carry my money in a yazzy wrist bag.

Oh, it was this doofus thing. You could enter in a beer name and it was supposed to tell you all about it. Or you could search for beers by country. It was awful. Half the beers we tried to find wouldn't come up. And for some pretty obvious beers, like Duvel, all the information we got was country of origin and alcohol content.
As I said, it was a gift. Nothing we would have bought on our own. And nothing we'd want to "regift" except maybe to somebody we really didn't like but had to buy a gift for (as long as they didn't have any means of making our lives miserable in retaliation).

Sounds like a good gag gift for a Southern Baptist Christmas party!

I bought what I thought was an essential black travel dress and wore it once, realizing that I looked like a sad sad widow.

That's funny, laclaire. I bought what I thought was a very "in" aqua messenger bag. Once I started using it, I realized that it looked like a diaper bag!

Ira, we have used our bicycle chain/cable lock thingy numerous times on the trains, and in the rental car if we leave the luggage for a short period of time in the trunk unattended. We figure if they are going to steal it, they might as well work for it. We've also used it in restaurants while on the road if we have valueables with us, cameras, packages, my purse, etc. It gives us peace of mind
and we never leave anything behind.

Also we love the Eagle Creek packing units for pants, tops,etc... and the the zipper things for underwear and socks. We also use the plastic lined bag for 'leaky' things. DH is actually the packer in our family, says if I did it, our cases would look like beach balls. He loves these things and has actually shopped on his own for more over the years.

Wasted $$$ - money belts of every shape and form. I hate wearing them and DH says that most are bulky and uncomfortable.

He finally found the Eagle Creek zippered pouch that has a loop that slips through his belt and then he tucks it down into his pants. He loves it and that was actually one of our best purchases.

I agree about those plastic blow up pillows, a waste of money, but again, not very much.

Disclaimer: I do not work for Eagle Creek, but I wish that I did. I am a luggage and travel accessory freak and I would love to get an employee discount. You can never have too many suitcases, earrings, or purse, whether you use them or not ;-)

Nina

A travel iron for our honeymoon to Spain and Portugal last year. I actually wouldn't have needed it if I hadn't packed that 1 pair of pants that needed ironing and didn't go with all the tops I took.

It was also our first time travelling with a bigger budget and where we had no relatives, so I thought it would be handy. Boy was I wrong. It just took up space and added weight to the suitcase. Now it's sitting in the cupboard.

Funny how some of you don't like the inflatable pillow. I have one and really like it. My neck doesn't hurt after I've slept using it.

Inflatable pillows are ok for overnight flights. The buckwheat filled pillow which doesn't inflate was a waste of money. Comfortable but not packable.
Travel iron is also a moot point. I buy clothing that resists wrinkles and that I can roll up in the suitcase. Spouse who thought he could not travel without an iron (he irons his shorts and t shirts!) is now coming over to my side. Most places have irons in the room or available if you really want to spend your vacation ironing.

Best purchase was a small "kit" bag for my own toothbrush and personal items. Spouse had one for years and suggested I buy one. Makes it easy to find all your commonly used "stuff" and hangs on the bathroom door or hook. Now I don't have to go digging into a carryon for the nail clippers, etc.

Blow up travel hangers, nice idea but clothes slide off them.

The waist money belt and neck document holder my Mom gave me. Don't tell her, but they've never been out of the box.

My travel book on cruise destinations for our last trip, which I purchased online. Not only did half of our destinations not show up in said book, but I forgot to bring them with me, thereby rendered completely useless.

Will probably sell mine on ebay to recoup some losses.